today has been full, and wonderful. a full day excursion up mountain Entoto. our ears were popping, and the sights were breathtaking. the air was fresh, so unlike the air in the heart of Addis. the combination of diesel fumes and smoke from small cooking fires in the city can be a bit overwhelming. the mountain air, however, was fresh with the smell of eucalyptus trees all around. the people are amazing. women, many older, carrying HUGE (like very HUGE!) bundles of wood branches and leaves on their backs. Donkeys being herded with giant loads of the same. women with babies and small children. with every outing there is more to see. so many people, going who knows where.....many of the Ethiopian people are so drawn to us because of our skin colour. their opinion of us, based solely on our skin colour, is obvious. many have expectations. it is sad. Christine and I (another adoptive mom) have struggled to process all of this. there is so much desperation here....we attempted to shop some at a market today, but cut it short based on the "shopping assistants" that latched on to us. they are desperate for a sale, and seem so distraught when you say no. then they approach your van, some with such obvious needs. it is sometimes difficult to decipher between what is real and what is not, what is truth and what is not. so, we will attempt to experience some more of a market tomorrow afternoon, this time with a guide. one dear little boy about Adam's age (who reminded me of a brown version of my brother Tim at that age, the mischievous grin included) ran with our van as we left the scarf weaving place and all the way to the market. he just kept smiling at us. i gave him some fruit snacks when we left. i saw some older boys approach him to check out what he'd received, and i made sure they didn't take them from him. anyway, then we went to some historical churches and the national museum. so interesting, and the Ethiopian culture, religious reverence, and history is fascinating.
might attempt to load a picture....no promises! :)
love to all.
S.
reading this, Shan, makes me think that even though people talk about technology making the world so small...that it's really still very big. So different from home. Your descriptions are so vivid that if I close my eyes, I can almost imagine that I see what you're seeing, and it breaks my heart. I wonder if I'd be able to be as strong as you! I guess that's where we surrender to the power of Christ and do that which we could never do in our own strength. Thank you for updating the blog. Many prayers going up for you and A.Z and the court date tomorrow.
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Ange
All I can say after reading Ange's comment is Amen! Hugs to you all - we are praying much for you. Ann
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